Mastodawn

RE: https://mastodon.social/@404mediaco/116354600221651577

Hey Canadians: if you've ever used #UFile, and you haven't switched away yet, it's time to do so. And use #PIPEDA to get your data deleted from UFile.

Replacement options, in no particular order:

WealthSimple
CloudTax
StudioTax
GenuTax

#Canada #cdnpoli #tax

C.2d ago

For any #Canadian Linux users out there who haven't done their #taxes and are wondering about whether they have to fire up a Windows VM just to run tax software again, here's an option. There's also potentially a nasty surprise in store for you if you do this in VirtualBox.

I've used a number of tax packages over the years, as they merged or got bought out by other companies. For the last 10, it's been #UFile, which is #Windows-only. [1] I usually fire up an old Windows VM in #VirtualBox, but if you're running a recent Linux kernel, you'll find VirtualBox is broken and won't run. Oops. Now you're in a panic because you need to do your taxes before the end of the month...

I haven't checked to see if you could use kvm/virt-manager or another #VM system.

The next obvious way, if you don't want to install Windows on bare metal, is to try using #Wine to run the software directly on #Linux. If you search the net, you'll find a little info about doing this. A lot is ancient, but still seems to apply - but the stuff I found was not detailed at all, just people saying "it works" or similar.

I was able to finish the process, but ran into some issues, a few of which were not obvious. I thought this might help others.

[1] Well, they have an online version you can use in a browser, but I don't know why anyone would feel comfortable putting such sensitive information into some random company's web page.

#TaxSoftware #IncomeTaxSoftware #CRA #CanadaRevenueAgency #Canada

1/x